Crowfeather's Journey
by Quill Fang
Summary: After the battle with the Dark Forest, Crowfeather is left conflicted and alone by his son and former mate's disappearance. He sets out on a quest to find his family along with his new apprentice, and experiences danger and conflict outside of Clan borders, but learns - for the second time in his life - that friendship can be made away from Clan territory.
1. Prologue

**Welcome to my new story! **

**This is based off of an idea that the Erins had, that Crowfeather goes off to find Breezepelt and Nightcloud, who ran off to become rogues after the _Last Hope_. **

**There will be one chapter every day, or every other day. **

**Enjoy, and may StarClan light your path! **

**-Quilly**

* * *

The black-and-white tom stood atop the cluster of boulders, staring down onto the starry moorland. Beside him stood a mottled dark brown tom.

"Are you sure we should tell Onestar, Tallstar?" the brown tom asked, narrowing his eyes. "Should we let him find out for himself?"

"No, Mudclaw," Tallstar mewed, turning to his former deputy. "We must tell Onestar to prepare him."

"We should not interfere," he growled. "StarClan cannot change the fate of the Clans."

"If Onestar does not know the reason," Tallstar sighed. "Then he will end up breaking the Clan. He must know."

"But Crowfeather is the best choice for deputy!" Mudclaw hissed. "Maybe being chosen to succeed Ashfoot will make him stay!" Tallstar rolled his amber eyes.

"His destiny does not involve letting those two run off as rogues forever. He has to go find them."

"Sure he does," Mudclaw grumbled, flexing his claws. "But will he return?"

"He will," Tallstar assured him. "But his conscience will not allow him to remain in WindClan while they are roaming the wild. This will do him good."

"It's selfish!" Mudclaw spat, the fur on the back of his neck raising. "He's leaving his Clan in the balance while he goes on some foolish quest to apologize!"

Tallstar sighed. "Please, just come with me," Tallstar pleaded. "I cannot deliver this message on my own."

Mudclaw rolled his eyes. "Can't you bring Barkface? Or Deadfoot? Or Wrenflight or Gorsepaw? Why me?"

Tallstar blinked, his eyes gleaming intently. "Because Onestar will listen to you," he mewed. "He might not listen to me. He blames me for getting rod of his friendship with Firestar. But he has no quarrel with you."

The brown tom muttered something angrily, then looked up. "Fine," he growled. "Lets go."

Tallstar and Mudclaw hopped off of the boulders and raced across the moorland, heading towards a large hollow in the center of StarClan's hunting grounds. "Fourtrees," Tallstar murmured. "I still cannot believe that it still survived."

"It's amazing," Mudclaw agreed. "How do we summons Onestar?"

"He will come, soon. He is still awake. When he falls asleep, he will come to us."

"Maybe if he doesn't keep talking to Whitetail," Mudclaw growled. "Those two chatter like a pair of starlings when they sleep together."

Tallstar rolled his eyes. "He will come, Mudclaw. You will see."

A light brown shape began to appear in the hollow in front of the two StarClan warriors. It took shape and became the lying form of Onestar.

"Get up!" Mudclaw meowed sharply, prodding the sleeping Clan leader in the shoulder. Onestar's head lifted, and his eyes widened with surprise.

"Mudclaw!" he gasped, scrambling to his paws. "And Tallstar!" he bowed his head in greeting. "Am I in StarClan?"

Tallstar shook his head. "You are only dreaming, friend," he meowed. "We have a message for you."

"What is it?" Onestar asked, tilting his head to one side. Mudclaw glanced at Tallstar, and the Clan leader dipped his head for the warrior to speak.

"You know that Ashfoot is soon going to retire," Mudclaw began. "And we know that you are planning on choosing Crowfeather as your next deputy." Onestar looked faintly surprised.

"What of it?" he asked. "Is this the wrong choice?"

Tallstar shook his head. "No, no, it is the right one. But he is conflicted."

Onestar narrowed his eyes. "How so, Tallstar?"

"You cannot choose him as your deputy just yet," Mudclaw mewed, sighing. "Ashfoot must continue for a while longer, until Crowfeather returns from his journey."

"Journey?" the WindClan leader hissed. "To where?"

"To find... your two warriors. Nightcloud and Breezepelt." Onestar let out a snarl.

"He can't! I will not let him?"

"You must allow him to go, Onestar," Tallstar sighed gently. "But do what you must to try to keep him to stay."

Onestar unsheathed his claws. "Fine. But if he is gone more than six moons, I appoint Owlwkisker as my deputy. You can't stop me, either of you." He faded away with his fur bristling.

Mudclaw turned to Tallstar. "What do you mean? You want Onestar to stop him?"

"No," Tallstar replied, flicking his long tail. "But he will need a companion."


	2. Chapter One

Warm newleaf sunlight shone down into the dip, heating the boulders scattered around the WindClan camp. Crowfeather stretched in the warmth as he blinked his blue eyes open and jumped off of the flat-topped rock he he been resting on. _It's a nice day, _he thought, looking around the dip. WindClan cats were waking up all over the slopes.

Crowfeather padded towards a large patch of wool and gorse in the center of camp, overflowing with fresh-kill. _The prey heap is stocked well. We're recovering. _WindClan had fought fiercely in the battle against the Dark Forest, and all around him, warriors were healing well. _Except me. _He flinched at his own thought. His former mate Nightcloud and his son Breezepelt had run away during the battle, and they still hadn't come back. _It's my fault. Breezepet is responsible for his actions, but I did drive Nightcloud to edge him on. _He shook his turmoil away. That was then. He needed to focus on serving his Clan.

He took a plump wren off of the fresh-kill pile and sat down to eat it.

"Crowfeather!" a friendly voice called from across the hollow. He looked up and saw Onestar padding over to him, flicking his tail. Crowfeather dipped his head to the Clan leader respectfully.

"Hello," he said, taking a bite from his meal. Onestar nodded. "How are you?"

"Fine," he replied, instantly getting defensive. He wasn't; he was still getting over the fact that his family had ran away from the Clan. "You?"

"Oh, I'm alright," he sighed. The mottled brown tom stretched. "Whitetail is moving into the nursery soon." Crowfeather flicked his ear. _More kits for WindClan. We need more, after the battle. _

Six WindClan warriors had died in the battle, and one elder, Tornear. They had mourned the losses dearly, and Crowfeather himself had killed the Dark Forest warrior who had slain Leaftail

But he shook the thoughts away and followed his Clan leader's gaze towards a big hawthorn bush, nestled comfortably by a rock. A loud squeaking and mewling came from the inside, and four tiny kittens shot out, tussling and wrestling.  
Behind them, their mother Runningbrook padded out more slowly, glancing around nervously. The gray she-cat had given birth to Owlwhisker's kits only a half-moon ago, and they were bouncy enough to disrupt the entire Clan.

"Greetings, Runningbrook!" Onestar called to the queen. "Have you named them yet?" he pointed his muzzle to the group of wrestling kits by a boulder. Runningbrook quickly nudged them away from the rock before looking up and replying. She was one of the oldest queens, and was always tense when her kittens did anything.

"Yes, Owlwhisker came by last night and we gave them names," she told them, sitting down with her tail wrapped around her paws. "There's a brown tabby tom we named Flipkit - Flipkit, get off of your sister like that right now - and the other tabby she-cat," he flicked her tail to the kit Flipkit was hopping away from. "Is Hawthornkit. The brown she-cat is Runningkit, and the black one is Breezykit."

Crowfeather flinched. A black kit named Breezykit was much to close to his own son, Breezepelt.

"That's great!" Onestar purred. "They'll be great warriors."

One of the kits, Hawthornkit, broke away from her littermates and bounced over to to Crowfeather and Onestar. "Who are you?" she asked, her orange eyes wide with curiosity.

"I am Onestar, leader of WindClan," the mottled tom mewed, then flicked his tail to Crowfeather. "And this is one of the greatest warriors in the Clan, Crowfeather."

Crowfeather rolled his eyes at Onestar's statement. _A warrior who falls in love with a medicine cat from an enemy Clan and can't even keep his family together isn't a great cat. _

"Well," Crowfeather sighed. The kits were stirring up to many memories for his liking. "I've got to go. I have to go lead the sunhigh patrol." He turned around and stalked up the slope.

"Whiskernose, Sunstrike, come on," he called down into camp. "Patrol!" The two warriors who had been sharing tongues stood and padded over to him.

"Ready," Sunstrike meowed. Crowfeather narrowed his eyes. The she-cat had been training with the Dark Forest warriors, and had only found her true allegiance to WindClan during the battle. Even still, he didn't fully trust her.

Sunstrike saw the distrust in Crowfeather's eyes and her head lowered. He scowled, then turned and dashed away, leading the patrol towards the ThunderClan border. _You betrayed your Clan, _he thought. _But Sunstrike and the others joined the battle on the side of the Clans. Why didn't Breezepelt? _


End file.
